AFTER-HOURS ANSWERING

Your phone keeps answering after you close.

Evening and weekend callers are often the ones who need you most, and the ones most likely to try the next name on the list if they reach voicemail. The AI Receptionist picks up, books them in or takes a message, and you read it all in the morning.

Get started →Choose when it answers
  • Your hours, your time zone
  • Books or takes a message
  • Summary by email
Illustration with example data

How does after-hours answering with an AI receptionist work?

You set your business hours in your own time zone and choose an answer mode that covers after hours. When a call comes in while you are closed, the receptionist says the team is away, then offers to book a time on your calendar or takes a message. Emergencies are told to call 911, and you get an email summary of every call.

Answer modes

Pick how much of the clock it covers

  1. 1

    After hours only

    Your phone works as normal all day. Once you close, and on days you are shut, the receptionist answers instead.

  2. 2

    Missed calls and after hours

    During the day it steps in only when nobody picks up within the ring time you set. After closing it answers every call.

  3. 3

    Every call, day and night

    If you would rather it greet every caller, choose this mode and use transfers during your hours for the calls that need you.

Your hours

Set your hours once, in your own time zone.

Business hours are read in your business’s own time zone, so a caller in another state does not shift when you count as closed. Days you mark as closed are after hours all day.

During the day you can have your phone ring first for anywhere from 5 to 60 seconds before the receptionist steps in.

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While you are closed

What callers get instead of voicemail

  • It tells callers you are closed

    No pretending. The greeting says the team is away and that this is a virtual assistant, so callers know what to expect.

  • It offers a time instead of a beep

    Callers can book straight onto your calendar for when you are open, or leave a message it reads back to check the number.

  • It sends real emergencies to 911

    If a caller describes an emergency, it tells them to hang up and call 911 rather than waiting for the morning.

  • It ends junk calls

    Robocalls and sales pitches are politely ended, so the morning inbox is calls that matter.

The next morning

Start the day with a list, not a voicemail queue.

Each call arrives as an email with who called, what they wanted and how it ended: booked, message taken or ended. The transcript is attached to the call in your dashboard if you want the detail.

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FAQ

After hours, answered.

What is an after-hours answering service?

It is whatever answers your business phone once you close. With the AI Receptionist that is a voice assistant in your business's name, which can book a time on your calendar or take a message, then emails you a summary of each call.

How does it know when I am closed?

You set your business hours once in the dashboard, and they are read in your own time zone. Days you mark as closed count as after hours.

Can it still answer my daytime calls?

Yes, if you want it to. Choose a mode that also covers calls nobody picks up, or every call. Or keep it to after hours only and answer the day yourself.

What do I see the next morning?

An email for each answered call with the caller, the outcome and a short summary, plus the full transcript. Calls also sit in your dashboard beside your form fills and chats.

What does after-hours answering cost?

After-hours answering is part of every plan, from $49/mo. Calls under the billing minimum are not charged, so a hang-up costs nothing.

Keep exploring

More about the AI Receptionist

AI Receptionist

Close the shop.
Keep the phone open.

After-hours answering is in every plan, from $49/mo.

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Comparing options? AI vs an answering service